Parenting: Camping with Diabetes

Ever since my daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, we have struggled to keep her healthy with her blood sugar in the targeted range. The challenge is even greater for people with limited resources and less access to healthy food choices. I was thrilled to stumble upon a camp that is designed to help kids with diabetes join together, learn, and have fun!

Dr. Ernest Post is the head of Pediatric Endocrinology at Cooper University Hospital and he's on the Board of Trustees of Camp Nejeda.

Dr. Post says one of the great things about the camp is that, "Everyone is coming from school situations where they are one of two or three kids at school who are diabetic. At camp they're not different. They're like everyone else? They will learn tricks from other kids both emotionally and practically about for instance, how to stick your finger in a place that hurts less."

Since 1958, camp Nejeda has been reaching out to children with type 1 diabetes and their families trying to enhance their lives by providing a fun and educational camping experience that is medically managed around the clock.

The camp provides "camperships" to help with tuition or in some case pay for the entire tuition of campers in need. For the first time this year, they are bringing a day camp to South Jersey thanks to a grant from LEGO Children's Fund.

The day camp is a pilot program to educate and empower low income and at-risk children in the vicinity of Camden, NJ. The camp will be held from July 9 to the 13 in Gloucester County. They are providing some transportation to and from the Camden area. You can email the Director of Programs at programs@campnejeda.org or visit their website, campnejeda.org.